Blanket
by happykiller93
Summary: A oneshot featuring Rukia and Renji when they were still kids living in Rukongai. Reviews are very much appreciated!


In an abandoned hut on the outskirts of the 78th district of west Rukongai, Inuzuri, young Rukia was huddled up together with her friends for warmth. Around her, other homeless children were huddled up together too, waiting for the arrival of their blankets, which Renji and a few other older boys had volunteered to brave the snowstorm to collect.

A kind old lady living alone in the town had agreed to help each of the 20-odd children knit blankets for use in the long winter ahead. She was the only adult in town which Rukia and her gang really trusted, always empathizing with them and providing them a temporary hideout in her home whenever they went about stealing food in the town.

Rukia shivered. The snowstorm was unrelenting, causing the walls of the wooden hut to shake. Rukia feared that the flimsy hut she and the children were staying in would collapse at any moment. The fire everyone was sitting around was dying, and there was no firewood left. They needed the blankets quick if they want to last through the night.

The door creaked open, causing cold air to gush in which effectively put out the fire. Renji and the other boys stepped in, looking worn out, with the blankets in their arms. The children rushed to them like hungry wolves, eagerly claiming their long-awaited blankets.

"Here." A neatly rolled up blanket, tied with a thick string, flew towards Rukia. She caught it from Renji, who then proceeded to throw four more blankets towards his gang, before grabbing one for himself and headed towards them. Behind him, the children were still fumbling around for their blankets.

Rukia took a few seconds to take in Renji's appearance before breaking out into laughter. He was covered from head to toe in white snow, his red hair barely visible from the snow that covered his head. His sleeveless clothes were damp from the melting snow. His disgruntled face stared back at her.

"It's not funny!" He huffed angrily. "Try going out in the snowstorm by yourself next time!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Rukia said in between her laughter, before looking around to ensure that the other children had their fair share of blankets. Her eyes fell upon a small scrawny boy, who was wandering about the hut, looking for any spare blanket that wasn't collected for him to use. He had not collected his own blanket yet.

Rukia looked questioningly at Renji. "Didn't the oba-san make enough blankets for everyone?" She asked.

Renji shrugged. "I lost one of them in the snowstorm. He's just unlucky, I guess."

Without saying anything, Rukia immediately stood up, taking her blanket with her, and headed towards the boy. She recognized him as the one she saved from bullying a few weeks ago, when some older boys snatched his sweets away from him. Rukia had confronted those boys, challenging them to a fight which she won before successfully retrieving the sweets. The next day, those boys were gone and never to be seen again, probably due to the shame of losing to her. But Rukia didn't care about their whereabouts. To her, bullies had no place in this group of homeless children.

She was right in front of the boy right now. He stared at her, eyes wide with surprise. She gave a reassuring smile and crouched down in front of him so that her face was level with his, and handed him her blanket.

"What about you, big sister?" The boy looked worriedly at her.

Still smiling, Rukia ruffled the boy's hair endearingly. "It's alright. Big sister is tough. She can hold out against the cold."

"Liar." Renji muttered under his breath as he watched the young boy gratefully accept Rukia's offering. Due to the scarcity of food in winter, both he and Rukia had to starve for days to feed the younger children, who needed the food more than them. Right now, the both of them were living only by the large amounts of spiritual pressure they possessed, and it will take another two to three days for a new blanket to arrive. Rukia would probably have exhausted all her spiritual powers to survive the harsh conditions brought about by winter by then.

Night fell, and Rukia watched as the children tucked themselves into their blankets, their only defense against the cold night air. There were no beds in the hut, hence the floor doubled as a bed for the children. The snowstorm had stopped, replaced by large gusts of wind that made howling noises as it passed through fist sized holes in the walls of the hut.

She sat in a corner, against the wall, her chin on her knees and her arms around her stomach. That was the best position she could get into without losing too much heat. Soon she fell into a restless slumber.

A few minutes later, Renji was squatting in front of the sleeping Rukia. He watched as she shivered from the cold in her sleep, spasms that racked her entire body. "You're helpless." He sighed.

Blanket in hand, he placed it over Rukia, making sure she was fully covered except for her head. He took a few seconds to study her expression as it changed from one of discomfort to a more relaxed look. The moonlight shone on her face, highlighting her smooth features and peaceful expression. She wasn't shivering as hard now that she had the blanket. Satisfied that Rukia was resting well now, Renji took a seat next to Rukia, taking the same hunched up position Rukia was in, and slept.

Hours later, Rukia woke up, stiff from her sitting position. It was still dark and there were still a few hours before dawn broke. The first thing she noticed was the blanket that was on her. She wrapped it tighter around her, taking in the warmth, and wondered where it came from. She heard a series of ragged breathing from her left, and turned. Renji was leaning against the wall beside her, his head lifted as he slept, arms crossed.

Rukia carefully shifted her whole body such that she was now leaning on Renji, her arm against his side. She rearranged the blanket such that it covers the both of them sufficiently. Though it didn't provide as much warmth as when used individually, it was made up by Renji's body warmth which seeped into her.

Rukia gave a small smile as she heard Renji ragged breathing slowly begin to steady. She tucked her chin into her knees once again, and drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

Some things, after all, are better enjoyed when shared.


End file.
